It started one day during the winter of 2009, with mini donuts and a complimentary cup of hot chocolate on Nicollet Mall, from Chef Shack, after work when I was trying to get out of Downtown Minneapolis before the Holidazzle parade started.
And last spring, the thought of escaping the skyways and their "Burger Mondays" and "Taco Tuesdays" was exilarating. The promise of a menu driven by local and seasonal ingredients served from vibrant trucks dotting the Minneapolis streetscape set the tone of the day. I tuned in to Twitter and eagerly anticipated the "windows up" messages, so I could rush down 30 floors to beat the long lines that would inevitably form.
My scheduled vacation this past fall turned into a week long game of find-the-food-trucks-in-St. Paul. And as the weather turned cold, and most trucks went into storage for the season (and their operators ventured off to far off exotic locales), I found solace in Fork In The Road truck, who offered delivery. A recent recreational trip to Los Angeles found me dedicating a day to dragging my good friend and host around town in search of the inspiration for my favorite sandwich from the ladies at Fork In The Road, and an innovative ice cream sandwich truck known for pushing creative boundaries.
This year, with Minneapolis expanding mobile food vendor opportunities, I expect my daily lunch decision to be a pleasant sort of agony, and my weekends to be spent bicycling to local Farmer's Markets to seek out the purveyors that don't yet make the streets of downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul their destination. The food truck frenzy makes finding that lunchtime gem, once an exercise in futility, an absolute pleasure.
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